Kashiwaba Sisters
Kanako (金子) and Tsuruzako (剣子) Kawashiba are a pair of twins who attend Bellwall Academy. They are the leaders of Bellwall's Automotive Club, as well as the driver and gunner of a Panzer II. As they are always seen together, they shall henceforth be referred to as Kawashiba in this article. Individual articles for each sister would basically be copy and paste versions of each other. Profile The Kawashiba sisters made their first appearance in the first chapter of Little Army Volume 2. When Emi Nakasuga and Hitomi Yuzumoto were trying to raise money for the Sensha-dou club, the Kawashibas drove up to the area they were fundraising at in their jeep. They announced their presence when Kanako kicked over the money jar Emi and Hitomi were using to collect funds, then insulted the two of them for trying to prevent the Sensha-dou team from being disbanded, as well as mocking them for "driving outdated tanks". Hitomi inferred to Emi that the two of them came from an extremely wealthy family that have been funding the academy, as a result the school allowed them to do whatever they want. Recently, they had wanted to acquire the school's Sensha-dou training grounds to turn it into a racetrack. Kawashiba justified their claims by saying that tanks were hunks of iron that couldn't make any money, in comparison to their "beautiful" car. This had the effect of angering Emi Nakasuga, who then grabbed both of them by the head and snarled at them, calling them doppelgangers and referring to their talking as annoying. The twins then began crying in fear at the threat of physical harm. When Emi challenged them in order to settle the dispute once and for all, Kawashiba quickly recovered and stated that they wanted to have a race between a tank and a car. If Emi and Hitomi lost, they would be forced to drop out and the Sensha-dou team would be disbanded. Emi accepted their challenge and stated that if the twins lost, they would have to "lend a hand" with the Sensha-dou activities. The twins accepted and drove off laughing that it would be impossible to beat a car with a tank. The Race On the day of the race, they waited for Emi and Hitomi to show up whilst lounging on bathing chairs, casually dressed in mechanic outfits. When Emi and Hitomi expressed astonishment at the racing props and crowd that were present, the Tsuruzako explained that since they were having a race, they may as well be flashy about it. Once the rules of the match were explained, they reminded Emi and Hitomi about the bet. When the match started, the Kawashibas were able to pull ahead on a curve, with Tsuruzako taunting their opponents by saying that there was no way their four wheeler could be beaten. Kanako then expressed astonishment, when Emi forced her Tiger I onto the course itself, exclaiming that it was a cheap move. They then feigned worry that the tank would catch up and overtake them, but dropped the charade immediately afterwards, pulling far away from the tank with the power of their engine. Kanako laughed at Emi and Hitomi, claiming that there was no possible way they could catch up to them in a tank's engine. They both noted the dismayed expression on Hitomi's face, with Kanako commenting that she wondered what that, "big clumpy piece of garbage" could do and Tsuruzako claiming that there was no way the tank could win against their customized car. Turnaround After getting on the mountain course, the Kawashibas lost sight of the Tiger I. They both expressed a willingness to let Emi and Hitomi stay in the school, should they apologize to the twins. However, they stated that the Sensha-dou team would have to disband before the election. Both began laughing and saying how good it felt to be victorious. Needless to say, they were both extremely surprised when the Tiger I crashed through the forest and back onto the track when it went through the mountain rather than around it. They were then blinded by a smoke grenade thrown by Hitomi and were unable to catch up to the Tiger I before they reached the finish line. They began throwing a tantrum at their loss, with Tsuruzako screaming that they wouldn't acknowledge the result and Kanako saying that the match was invalid and demanded a rematch. At this point, Emi approached them, commenting how sour they were being after losing. She then grabbed their heads and reminded them not to look down on tanks. The twins then fled in their car, shouting that they would remember this day and have their revenge. The Favor The next time they were seen in the manga was at their car factory, which appears to be an installation dedicated to modifying and repairing cars. Whilst micromanaging and supervising their workers, they began complaining about the race, claiming that they hated tanks and that it was all Emi's fault that they lost. They then stated that the next time they met they would slap her down and make her cry, with one saying that she would spank her and the other laughing at the prospect. They were then startled by the appearance of Emi, who stated that she needed a favor and that there was no possible way the twins could refuse her, much to their fear. They ended up buying two heavy tank destroyers for Emi, a Jagdpanther and an Elefant. Confronting Kiri During the confrontation between Kiri Shiratori and the Bellwall Sensha-dou team, the Kawashibas were extremely shocked at how the main school road had been chewed up by the Infantry Tank A43 Black Prince that Kiri had arrived in, which had been forcefully airdropped onto the school grounds. They confronted Kiri, who simply threw a credit card at one of their heads, stating that there was no need for change as she was rich. This had the visible effect of severely angering both of them, who then decided to get revenge on Kiri for her high-handedness. Battle vs. West Kureoji Grona Academy Right before the match against West Kureoji, the Kawashibas arrived at the school's tent in a Type 10 tank that they had purchased, with the intention of using it during the match. However, Emi informed the two of them that using the Type 10 was against the rules, nick-naming the two "Baka-washiba" as well. The two expressed indignation at the nickname and dismay that they would be unable to use the Type 10, stating that they had properly studied and read up about tanks. Fortunately, Emi realized that the Sensha-dou team had a spare tank that they could use which delighted the Kawashiba sisters, until they realized that the aforementioned tank turned out to be a Panzer II, much to their chagrin and the amusement of Chiyufu Doi and Neko Yamamori. Visiting Ooarai Along with the rest of Bellwall's team, the Kawashibas went to Ooarai in order to participate in the Commemorative Cup. Kuromorimine vs. Bellwall Ooarai vs. Bellwall Before the battle, the Kawashibas enlisted the help of their fellow automotive club members, having them crew three Panzer IIs that the Kawashibas had purchased with their own money. This brought Bellwall's numbers up to eight tanks, as well as the ability to form a, "Panzer II Squad". Description The Kawashiba sisters both have long blonde hair tied with a black hairband, with a few strands of hair sticking out from the left or right side of her head. They are both short and some have gone so far as to refer to them as having "small" bodies. They are usually seen wearing a cream colored sweater over the Bellwall Academy shirt. Both being part of the automotive club, they have also been seen wearing mechanic jumpsuits, sometimes with the top rolled down, and a black sports bra underneath. During Sensha-dou matches, they wear the Bellwall Academy Sensha-dou jacket. Telling the Twins Apart A way to tell the Kawashibas apart is through the way they tie up their hair that stick out from one side of their head. Kanako (the elder) ties her hair up on the left side of her head. Tsuruzako (the younger) ties her hair up on the right side of her head. An additional way to identify them is through their roles, where Kanako is the passenger and Tsuruzako is the driver. When not speaking in unison, Kanako is usually the first to speak for the two, with Tsuruzako following up. Personality wise, Kanako seems to be slightly more outspoken and temperamental than Tsuruzako, who usually sneers or laughs along with her sister. Personality In the beginning of the manga, the twins are fairly arrogant and confrontational, embodying the spoiled rich-girl(s) stereotype heavily at the beginning of the manga. Indeed, they even go so far as to throw tantrums and demand to speak to figures of authority when things don't go their way. However, they show many moments of decency and maturity throughout the manga, fulfilling their promise to help out Emi buy two (fairly powerful) tank destroyers, as well as doing their best in the Sensha-dou matches. Both of them tend to exhibit cowardly tendencies. One major instance of this can be seen when they happily ripped into the Sensha-dou team verbally, but started crying in fear when Emi physically confronted them about their insults. Despite their rich-girl attitudes, they are actually very good at mechanical and repair work, being able to restore the motor and tracks of a Tiger I in a very short time. They also have good study and work ethics as they can be seen actively supervising at their garage, and actually take the time to study up on tanks before entering the team. Their abilities may even be on a superhuman level, being able to analyze and repair things with ungodly speed and efficiency. Have a love-hate relationship with Emi. They call Emi a "gorilla woman", and she in turn coined their nickname "Baka-washiba". Demanded Emi show them "her dere" when Hitomi Yuzumoto told them about Emi's softer side. Trivia * The Kawashibas' small body size is actually preferable for racers, as they have less body weight and thus lets the car go slightly faster. * The Type 10 tank used by the JGSDF costs JPY ¥48,400M, which would be about USD $447M. This implies that the Kawashibas belong to a family that is extremely wealthy, to be able to purchase something that expensive for what is essentially a hobby. ** Not to mention that they have purchased five tanks for their Sensha-dou team: A Jagdpanther, an Elefant and three Panzer IIs. * Almost hime-like in their personality. Kanako even does the "Ohohoho" laugh during the match against Ooarai. Gallery Kawashiba Mechanics.png|Best mechanics in the Automotive Club. Bellwall Prominent.png|Color photo. Kawashiba Scared.png|Cowardly behavior. Kawashiba In Tank.png|Kawashiba Sisters in the Panzer II. Note Tsuruzako in the Driver Position and Kanako in the Gunner/Commander position. Category:Females Category:Polynymous Category:Bellwall Girls Academy Category:Drivers Category:Gunners Category:Radio Operators Category:Tank Commanders Category:Characters